obama elected in a highly democratic nation, even with its racial divides. there's just no comparison. it actually doesn't surprise me, though, that we didn't hear as much about mandela in obama's books, because the truth is, you know, the president in becoming the first black president had to spend a lot of time convincing white americans he would be the president of all americans. >> race does not tread into very frequently and in some cases does not. >> unfortunately that's part of the politics of the united states, to become the first black president, he felt the need to spend a lot of time talking about his kansas roots, not his kenyan roots. >> another theme of the last few days has been the relationship mandela had to his opponents, one of grace and forgiveness and shrewd negotiation as well. hearing the president talk about what richard brought up, you can't understand your supporters but you also need to understand your opponent. seems like as much a reminder for democrats as it was a sort of signal to republicans that this is about both teams here.